BFTP: Premier Hotel Sibu

Wow, I’ve just realized that I’ve only posted this BFTP almost once per year. Well, I think I really need to step up my game huh? So this time around my memories had flown us all the way to Sibu, Sarawak.

Premier Hotel Sibu

When – Way back in 2009, because a former college friend of mine has been begging me to come and visit her

Where – I would say that it’s within a very strategic place at the Sarawak House Complex, Jalan Kampung Nyabor. For those of us not from that area, the hotel is within the Pekan Sibu.

Room(s) that I’ve stayed in – Superior Double Room

Reasons for staying – Like I’ve mentioned before, one of my close friends from college has been bugging me to come to her hometown in Sibu for years. And since she’d been to Tawau previously, I think it’s only fair that I returned the favour and finally relented. I would say that it was a pleasant experience, although I got the impression that Sibu is smaller than I initially thought though.

Pros:

~ the hotel is somewhat in the middle of the main town area so you are in close proximity to lots of shops and even their ‘pasar malam’. And if my memory serves me correctly, it is also within walking distance to the main ferry terminal (of course, it is the main form of inter-district transportation in Sarawak).

~ the hotel is also attached to a shopping complex (but looks more like a large supermarket to me) called the Sarawak House Complex so it’s pretty convenient for you to buy your essentials.

~ the room I was given was very comfortable, with that old school charm (can also be translated as ‘dated’) and has a nice view overlooking the town. But they have since refurbished their rooms so it is more modern looking now.

Cons:
~ I went out to grab a bite at the wee hours in the morning (I’ll explain why later) and was surprise to see the lobby area very darkly lit. I mean, two-lights-only darkness with only 1 staff manning the place. I found this very surprising since the hotel can be considered as large (and by the looks of it, one of the pricier ones at that time) so I wasn’t expecting them to be very frugal when it comes to the lobby. But then again, it was a while ago and from the looks of it now (via their current website) they have gone through renovations and are now (hopefully) much better lit than before.

~ unfortunately if you’re interested in visiting other malls in Sibu, then you do need to take a taxi to and fro since the area is quite far away from other malls.

~ at that time, their free wifi services were only limited to the lobby area so I do remember having to carry my laptop downstairs just to send some emails

~ I also remember the bathroom lights were off during my first night there but it has been sorted out by the second night.  

Memorable event(s) – I clearly remembered that the first night I checked into the hotel was also the beginning of the fasting month. So imagine me going out trying to find some place to have my first sahur of the year, in an unfamiliar town, ALL ALONE. Yup, thinking back I just realized that I was pretty bold during those days. Thankfully I do not have to walk that far, since there’s a 24 hours KFC nearby for me to grab a (very) early morning snack.

Overall Ratings: * * * (curious as to what the place looked like now)

(P/S: Pictures below are mostly ‘borrowed’ from www.tripadvisor.com so all credit goes to them, otherwise stated differently of course)

(This front pic is taken from bettyandlingshing.blogspot.com. The shopping complex is actually attached to the hotel)

(The room that I got looked very similar to this one - this is way before they'd dolled up the place)

(Yup, this reminds me so much of the room as well way back when)

(Want more prove that this is exactly what the room looks like a few years back? Just check out the retro TV!)

(This last one was taken from www.yanty.my - This is what Pekan Sibu looks like, it is actually smaller than it looks though)